Maroon Peak, also known as South Maroon, is an iconic Colorado 14er in the Elk Mountains, that is the larger of the Maroon Bells. These two peaks are some of the most photographed places in the country because of the extreme beauty. Hiking just Maroon, or both the bells is an intense endeavor, but extremely rewarding. Here is everything you need to know about hiking Maroon Peak.
Distance – 11.4 miles round trip (18.35 km)
Height – 14,156 feet (4314.75 m)
Elevation gain – 5,100 feet (1554.48 meters)
Duration – 10 – 12 hours (book time dependant upon trailhead start)
Difficulty – Strenuous
Class: Class 4 Hike
Trailhead Location – Maroon Lake Trailhead (9,560 feet)
Quick Navigation:
Routes | Trail Map | Camping Info | Weather | Directions | Pictures
Need To Know Information
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- Parking in the summer is extremely hard to come by, and the process is a bit confusing. We explain all of this below.
- This is a class 4 hike with exposure. It should only be attempted by hikers that have other class 3 and 4 experience.
- There are many mountain goats on this hike during most of the summer season.
Hiking Route Options
There is only one common route to the summit of Maroon Peak. This summit may be combined with North Maroon Peak via the Maroon Bells Traverse, which is one of Colorado’s 4 great traverses and should only be done by experienced hikers and climbers. We will discuss this traverse in another article.
Maroon Lake Trailhead | 11.4 Miles Round Trip (18.35 km) – 5,500 Feet Elevation Gain (1554.48 meters) | Class 4
Begin at the parking lot for Maroon Lake along the Maroon Snowmass Trail. .5 miles in, hikers will reach the junction for the scenic loop trail, and they should stay to the right along the Maroon Snowmass Trail towards Crater Lake. 1.6 miles in, hikers will reach the junction that heads up towards Pyramid Peak, hikers continue straight.
Less than .5 miles later, hikers will reach a junction where the right is towards Snowmass, but hikers will bear left towards Crater Lake. From the stream that flows into Crater Lake, hikers continue another 1.4 miles, and pass the Crater Lake campsites (mentioned below). There will be an unmarked junction, where hikers should bear left and begin the first part of the hike where the ascent gets quite steep. From here, hikes follow cairns up the very steep trail and gain the south ridge of Maroon Peak. This ridge is gained at about 13,340 feet. From here the hike begins the class 3 and 4 difficult terrain that will take a significant amount of time to complete. 1.5-2.5 hours to summit from here, be sure to scope out weather.
Hikers stay west of the ridge (left on the way up), via the safest route. From here, route finding is considered difficult, however the trail is clearly well traveled and is well cairned all the way to the summit. Route finding experience is highly recommended before attempting this peak. We highly recommend consulting our photos below for route information, but also consulting 14ers.com and other resources on this hike for route finding information. The more prepared you are, the better. Bring along photos from this site and others for route finding help.
Trail Map
Maroon Peak Elevation Profile Map
Camping For Maroon Peak
Most people doing Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, or the Bells Traverse as an overnight hike will camp out at Crater Lake, which has 11 campsites. If all spots are filled, campers can camp as long as they are .25 miles away from the lake. Information on camping can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=40563
The difficult part of camping here is landing an overnight parking permit, or arranging being dropped off. Parking reservation or shuttle reservations to the lake can be found here: https://aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/trip-highlights/maroon-bells/reservations. Hikers can be dropped off between 6-8 am without a parking reservation. Hikers are required to purchase a one way shuttle back down to Aspen Highlands on the way out unless someone is picking you up after 5pm.
In addition to the Crater Lake Options, there are several campgrounds along the road to Maroon Lake. Below we order them as the closest to Maroon lake first:
East Maroon Portal
Silver Queen Campground
Silver Bell Campground
Silver Bar Campground
Current Weather Conditions:
Here is the detailed weather forecast for the next few days. We highly recommend you check out the mountain forecast for this peak the morning of your hike.
Snowmass Village, CO
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Southwest wind around 15 mph.
Thursday
A chance of snow showers and isolated thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. West southwest wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Thursday Night
Snow showers likely and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. West wind 20 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Friday
Snow showers likely before noon, then snow showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. West wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Friday Night
Snow showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 16. Southwest wind 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Saturday
Snow showers before 9am, then snow showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 20. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.
Saturday Night
Snow showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Directions & Parking
From the roundabout, take the exit for Maroon Creek Road. Follow the road until the Aspen Highlands Center. If you are day hiking or don’t have a parking pass, you will need to park here and take the suttle. Continue along the road if you are traveling to Maroon Lake Trailhead.
Important Note: Read our camping section above for more information on parking fees, shuttle use, overnight parking, times you can enter, and dropoff information.
Directions to Maroon Lake Trailhead:
Additional Pictures
Maroon Peak south ridge route
Maroon Bells Traverse from Maroon Peak
Crater Lake, Colorado
Views from Crater Lake
Heading up from Crater Lake with Pyramid Peak in the background
Early class 3 hiking on west side of the south ridge. Hikers can be seen on route.
Views of the Maroon Bells from summit of Pyramid Peak
Maroon Bells as seen from Maroon Lake
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about